Stars who died during production

Updated 2:10 PM ET, Thu August 6, 2015

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Stars who died during production – Chris Farley, at center with filmmakers Tyron Montgomery, left, and Thomas Stellmach after they won the Oscar for best animated short film for "Quest" in 1997. Farley was working on the animated film "Shrek" when he died of an overdose in 1997. His "SNL" colleague Mike Myers took over the role. Here's a look at other celebrities who have died during the production of movies and TV shows.

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Photos:Photos: Stars who died during production

Stars who died during production – Lee Thompson Young was appearing on TNT's "Rizzoli & Isles" when he committed suicide in August.

Stars who died during production – After Paul Walker's death in a car crash in November 2013, producers decided to retire his character, Brian O'Conner, in "Fast & Furious 7."

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Photos:Photos: Stars who died during production

Stars who died during production – Heath Ledger was filming "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" in 2008 when he died of accidental drug intoxication. The film was completed using other actors as fantasy versions of Ledger's character.

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Photos:Photos: Stars who died during production

Stars who died during production – Phil Hartman rose to fame for his impersonations including President Bill Clinton on "Saturday Night Live," but he was starring on the sitcom "NewsRadio" when he was shot to death by his wife in 1998. Actor Jon Lovitz replaced him.

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Photos:Photos: Stars who died during production

Stars who died during production – Jon-Erik Hexum was a 26-year-old rising star in 1984 when he shot himself with a prop gun on the set of his new TV series, "Cover Up." The blank drove a piece of his skull into his brain, and he was taken off of life support a week later. His character was killed off

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Photos:Photos: Stars who died during production

Stars who died during production – Brandon Lee was filming the movie "The Crow" in 1993 when he was accidentally shot and killed during a scene. Lee was the son of ...

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Stars who died during production – Actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee, who was working on dubbing the film "Enter the Dragon" when he died in 1973 of a brain edema, caused by a prescription painkiller.

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Stars who died during production – Vic Morrow, here in "The Streets of San Francisco" in 1973, died along with two child actors in 1982 when a stunt helicopter crashed on top of them during the filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie." The accident resulted in an involuntary manslaughter case against director John Landis and four others. The group was ultimately acquitted.

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Stars who died during production – Cory Monteith's death in 2013 at the age of 31 from an overdose of drugs and alcohol meant his hit show, "Glee," had to figure out how best to deal with his character. Monteith's character, Finn Hudson, center, also died on the series, though the cause of death was not revealed.

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Stars who died during production – John Ritter died of an aortic dissection at the height of his show "8 Simple Rules" in 2003. David Spade and James Garner were later cast.

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Stars who died during production – River Phoenix was almost finished filming "Dark Blood" when he died of drug-induced heart failure in 1993. It would take 19 years for the film to be completed.

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Stars who died during production – "The Royal Family" was in rehearsals when Redd Foxx died of a heart attack in 1991. The TV comedy had been intended as a comeback vehicle for Foxx and did not survive long after his death.

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Stars who died during production – Freddie Prinze, left, was starring on "Chico and the Man" when he fatally shot himself in 1977. Child actor Gabriel Melgar was brought in to play a new character, Raul, after Prinze's death.

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Stars who died during production – When John Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005, his character on "The West Wing," Leo McGarry, suffered the same fate.

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Stars who died during production – Natalie Wood mysteriously drowned in 1981 near Santa Catalina Island, California, during production of the science fiction film "Brainstorm." Her co-star, Christopher Walken, was sailing with the actress and her husband, Robert Wagner, at the time.